Crops

In today’s agricultural playing field, the focus is being directed at sustainably producing crops for a growing world population. Concepts like ensuring food security, soil quality and fertility, nutritional value of crops, and environmental impact on the natural resources are the order of the day.

The decision of what to plant should be based on average market prices in the long term, which enables vegetable growers to calculate what the market price fluctuations will be, says Bill Kerr.

Blueberries have been identified as an ideal crop for boosting agriculture’s contribution to South Africa’s gross domestic product. Given the labour-intensive nature of this crop and its lucrative export market, investing in it was an obvious choice for Pan African Resources and Primocane Capital as a means of supporting rural communities near Barberton in Mpumalanga.

It is one thing to have a good product, but we need to bring its outstanding features to the attention of the purchaser, writes Bill Kerr.

In 2019, dairy farmer Jonathan Willows and his business partner, Laine Collett, launched a pineapple operation on a dairy farm in the Eastern Cape. They spoke to Mike Burgess about why and how they rebooted a once-successful pineapple farm to set them up to produce 7 000t of the Cayenne variety a year.

With the support of his wife, Andrew Doré has changed his approach to macadamia farming by adopting organic practices. He spoke to Sinenhlanhla Mncwango about his farming experience, challenges, and how he expanded his business into processing macadamia nuts into health products.

Featuring an array of delicious fruit from peaches to cherries, stone fruit is attractive to a variety of bugs that can be effectively controlled with integrated pest management, writes Zunel van Eeden.

Sorghum can transform rural economies by boosting food security, supporting local processing, and enhancing soil health. Nate Blum, CEO of Sorghum United, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the potential of this drought-resistant grain.

The importance of building up humus in vegetable fields cannot be overstated. Without achieving this, the soil will not become self-sustainable, writes Bill Kerr.

Bill Kerr says he can’t overemphasise the importance of making sure that the bean seed you purchase is disease free.

A very important part of the success of this project is an understanding of the soil food web, in other words, how organisms that live in the soil interact with plants, writes Bill Kerr.

As unfussy as they come, pomegranates are a relatively easy crop to cultivate. With market conditions picking up, the fruit offers first-time, part-time and long-time farmers an attractive option should they find themselves in the right climate. Lindi Botha reports on the success of a farm in Gauteng.

As fruit-importing countries become increasingly intolerant of pest infestations and diseases posing phytosanitary risks and equally intolerant of the use of pesticides, South African fruit producers have had to revisit their pest and disease management strategies, writes Magda du Toit.

Bill Kerr says that increasing the organic and microbe content of your soil is the first step to ensuring healthier crops and greater yields.

Transformation in the fresh produce sector faces a significant challenge in that small-scale producers are unable to stay the course. Lindi Botha reports on how overwhelming obstacles, such as defunct government infrastructure and the high cost of food safety compliance, are shattering these farmers’ prospects for success.

Precision irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots, maximising efficiency and sustainability in agriculture. Zunel van Eeden spoke to Netafim South Africa’s Charl van Reenen about this irrigation technique, which can help South African farmers address the challenges brought about by a water shortage.

Beans originated in Central and South America and have been domesticated for thousands of years, says Bill Kerr.

Avocado production in South Africa has traditionally been linked to the hot and humid northern provinces. Recently, though, Western Cape plantings have grown. Louis Vorster, who has extensive experience in avocado production, spoke to Marinda Louw Coetzee about the differences in production between these regions.

Macadamia nut farms have been in dire straits over the past two seasons as prices have dropped and input costs have risen. With little relief on the horizon, orchard management needs to be revised to maintain sustainability. Lindi Botha looks at the options available to farmers to reduce their costs.

Various nitrogenous fertilisers are available. Your choice will depend on environmental considerations, cost, availability, and so on, writes Bill Kerr